Posted on: April 22, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Spin [4 Stars] : “…balancing craftmanship and raw emotion.”

Rolling Stone : ” heads up, animal collective fans: this san francisco act whips up tribal-style grooves that are surprisingly cheery and layered for a band that consists of only two dudes playing acoustic instruments.”

NY Times at SXSW (Jon Pareles) : “But some of my favorite bands at the festival were those that made their impact on the spot. ; The Dodos, from SF, worked up to manic propulsion with hard strummed acoustic guitar and plinking piano.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/arts/music/17sxsw.html_r=1&scp=2&sq=sxsw&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Pitchfork Media (Make Top 5 List of Best SXSW Show Of Four Pitchfork Editors : http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/49331-guide-to-pitchforks-sxsw-2008-coverage

NPR at SXSW (Bob Boilen) : … “a fierce sound”

Vanity Fair Online VF.com : http://www.vanityfair.com/ontheweb/blogs/daily/2008/03/notes-from-sx-8.html

NME in SXSW : http://www.nme.com/news/sxsw/35205

Click here to listen to Debut Single “Fools” http://www.frenchkissrecords.com/audio/the_dodos/Fools.mp3

Click Here To View Video Of “Fools” http://www.wearethemasses.com/musicvideos/dodos_fools.html
Visiter, by San Francisco band The Dodos, is their second full length and first for Frenchkiss. Originally formed in 2006 under the moniker Dodobird as a one man acoustic act, Meric Long would gig around SF playing folky guitar with a combination of loops and ambient keyboards. Having already studied West African Ewe drumming, Meric got turned onto country blues fingerpicking and sought to create a band where the drumming could be a center role and help bring out the syncopated rhythms coming out of the acoustic guitar. Through a chance introduction by a roommate, Meric met Santa Cruz transplant Logan Kroeber, who had also been experimenting with drumming, but in the area of progressive metal. Eventually the band changed their name to the Dodos, through constant harrowing from first tourmates Peter and the Wolf, and got a rehearsal studio where they’d spend long hours improvising the music that would become their first record& nbsp; Beware of the Maniacs. The band quit their day jobs as a line cook and a printer and hit the road in Oct. 2006.

The Dodos’ principal concept behind Visiter was to reconnect with the energy and intensity of their live show. They decided to return to Type Foundry Studio where Beware of the Maniacs had been recorded. With producer/engineer John Askew back at the helm, they began expounding upon what they had learned since the previous record. The basic drum and guitar takes were recorded live simultaneously with very minimal post production. Type Foundry’s warehouse-sized live room led to experimentation with mic placement, capturing a variety of ambient & natural sounds. At one point during tracking, the audible din of a thunderstorm inspired an impromptu horn session between Meric and guest trumpeter, Cory Gray. A small section of this can be heard between the songs “Fools” and “Joe’s Waltz” on the record.

Visiter was completely written while on the road from the fall of 2006 to the summer of 2007.

The name of the record came from a drawing a kid did for them when they played for his special education class at Dorsey High in South Central on a road trip down to LA. With all of their time being spent on the road, Meric’s lyrics drew heavily from his experiences while touring. They would come home for days at a time, and then leave for a month, always coming and going, which pretty much shaped every relationship the band had during that year.

The Dodos toured in 2007 with Les Savy Fav, Akron/Family, Jennifer Gentle, Wovenhand and Peter and the Wolf. 2008 will bring even more touring for them with stops at the Noise Pop, SXSW and Culture Shock festivals. r

US TOUR

Apr 26 2008 5:00P Coachella as part of Akron/Family’s band Coachella
Apr 27 2008 8:00P Great American Music Hall/San Francisco w/Les Savy Fav San Francisco
May 14 2008 8:00 Rickshaw Stop/San Francisco (All Ages) San Francisco
Jun 28 2008 8:00P Sled Island Festival/Calgary Calgary
Jul 2 2008 8:00P Downtown Boise Summer Series Festival Boise

www.dodosmusic.net

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